Rug and carpet cleaning machine.



A. H. BOELTER.

RUG AND CARPET CLEANING MACHINE.

-APPLIOATION FILED OGT.31,1913. 1, 1 1 6,225.

Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

WITNESSES A,,H;B06H;gp INVENTOR ATTORN EY 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1' A. H. BOELTER.

RUG AND CARPET CLEANING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 31, 1013.

Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

3 SHEBTS-SHEET 2.

A,H B0g/i'g;; INVENTOR WITNESSES ATTORN E A. H. BOELTER.

RUG AND CARPET CLEANING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 31, 15113.

1 1 1 6,225. Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

ATTORN EY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUGUST H. IBOELTER, OF ROCHESTER, INDIANA.

RUG AND CARPET CLEANING MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUST H. Bonmnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the county of Fulton and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Rug and Carpet Cleaning Machine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to improvements in rug and carpet cleaning machines, and its object is to provide a machine which will thoroughly remove dust and dirt from rugs or carpets.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a carriage or traveler upon which a rug or carpet may be secured in a fiat or spread-out condition, the carpet support being of open construction to permit dislodged dirt to fall through it, and associated with the traveling support are beaters and brushes with means for adjusting these brushes toward and from the carrier to determine the action of the heaters and brushes upon a carpet fast on the carrier, and mechanism is provided for producing movements of the carrier with respect to the beaters and brushes to cause a thorough cleansing of the rug or carpet on the carrier.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification with the further understanding that while the drawings show a practical form of the invention, the latter is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings, but may be changed and modified so long as such changes and modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof with some parts in horizontal section. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section of a portion of the framework and carpet carrier or traveler thereon. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of the carpet beater or whipper.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a main frame made up of longitudinal side beams 1, 2, respectively, an intermediate longitudinal beam 3 and cross beams 4. Erect- I ed on the side beams 1 and 2 are posts 5, 6,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 31, 1913.

Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

Serial No. 798,467.

each of which may be made up of closely related, but spaced members, and the posts 5 and 6 on each side are connected together by a crown piece 7, while braces 8 extending from the posts 5 and 6 to the respective side beams 1 and 2 serve to stiffen the parts. The spaced members of each post 5 and 6 receive between them blocks 9 and 10, respectively, the blocks 9 being movable lengthwise of the posts 5 and the blocks 10 being movable lengthwise of the posts 6 and each block is carried by a rod 11 swiveled thereto as indicated at 12, and extending through a nut 13 at the top of the respective post, the rod being appropriately threaded for a sufficient distance, as indicated at 14, where passing through the nut while at the upper end of the rod there is provided a crank 15 or other means for turning the rod. By this means the blocks 9 and 10 are adjustable up and down in the respective posts 5 and 6 as may be found desirable. The arrangement is such that there is a block 9 on each side of the machine, and the blocks 10 are similarly disposed. The blocks 9 carry a shaft 16 extending across the machine and the blocks 10 carry a similar shaft 17, and these shafts have suitable bearings in the respective blocks. The shaft 16 carries pulleys 18 at opposite ends beyond the respective posts and the shaft 17 carries pulleys 19 similar to the pulleys 18.

Mounted to slide between the posts 5 and 6 on the two sides of the machine are blocks 20 each carrying a weight 21, or the respective blocks 20 may be heavy enough without the additional weight 21. Each block 20 carries an idler pulley 22 situated between the respective pulleys 18 and 19 on the same side of the machine.

Mounted in bearings 23 on opposite sides of the machine beneath the side beams 1 and 2 intermediate of the posts 5 and 6 is a main shaft 24 carrying a pulley 25 below each freely between the posts 5 and 6 for such purpose. The shaft 24 is provided with a drive pulley 27 to which may be applied a drive belt 28 coming from any source of power, and as it is customary to replace the belts by direct-connected electric motors, the pulley 27 and belt 28 may be taken as indicative of such an arrangement.

Mounted upon the drive shaft 24 is a tight pulley 29 and two other tight pulleys 30 and 31, respectively, the last named pulleys being arranged on opposite sides of the tight pulley 29. At an appropriate distance from the drive shaft 24 is a countershaft 32 mounted in suitable hearings in the side beams 2 and 3, and this countershaft 32 is provided with a tight pulley 33 and loose pulleys 34 and 35, respectively. Extending about the pulleys of the drive shaft 24 and countershaft 32 are two belts 36 and 37, respectively, one of the belts, say the of belts is such that when one is in position to connect the tight pulleys 29 and 33 the other belt is upon either the pair of pulleys 30 and 34, or the pair of pulleys 31 and 35. By shifting the belts 36 and 37 either the straight or the crossed belt may be brought into engagement with the tight pulleys, in which case the other belt is upon one or the other of the respective pairs of tight and loose pulleys. Since one of the belts is crossed a progressive movement of the main shaft 24 will cause a rotation of the shaft 2 in one direction or the other in accordance with the position of the belts, and in this manner the continued rotation of the shaft 24 may be utilized to cause a similar or reverse rotation of the countershaft 32 as the operator may desire, this reversal of movement being utilized for a purpose which will hereinafter appear.

The longitudinal side beams 1 and 2 are constructed to serve as tracks, the posts 5 and 6 being mounted on the outside of these beams so as not to interfere with the function of the beams as tracks. Mounted upon the beams 1 and 2 is a carriage or traveler 38 comprising a frame supported upon pairs of wheels 39 joined by axles 40, the wheels 39 being flanged and adapted to the respective side beams 1 and 2. The carriage or traveler 38 has a covering or surfacing 41 of suitable material, such as wire screen, designed to receive and support a rug or carpet, the carriage being of sufficient area for the purpose and the frame of the carriage can be utilized for the reception of tacks or other fastening means for holding the rug or carpet in place, or any other means for holding the carpet to the carriage may be provided.

The top or carpet receiving surface of the carriage is substantially lat, while underneath the carriage there is secured thereto an elongated rack bar 42 by brackets 43 or otherwise, this rack bar being supported at intervals by guide brackets 44 fast to the longitudinal beam 3 on one side thereof.

Extending between the beams 2 and 3 at a point about intermediate of their lengths is a shaft 45 suitably journaled in the respective beams, and this shaft carries a pulley 46 and a pinion 47. The pulley 46 is connected by a belt 48 to another pulley 49 on the countershaft 32, so that the shaft 45 receives motion from the shaft 32 in directions corresponding to the directions of movement of the shaft 32. The pinion 47 meshing with the rack bar 42 causes the carriage 38 to travel in one direction or the other longitudinally of the framework of the machine and beneath the shafts 16 and 17. In order to prevent undue wear of the side beams 1 and 2 their upper edges may be faced with strips 50 serving as wear plates or strips, and these strips may have their extremities upturned, as indicated at 51 to constitute stops for the carriage 38.

The shaft 16 carries a drum made up of spiders 52 connected by elongated strips 53 on which are mounted bristles 54, so that the shaft 16 carries a rotatable brush. The shaft 17 has spiders 55 mounted thereon in spaced relation lengthwise of the shaft, and these spiders are connected by strips 56 while each strip has fast thereto numerous flexible members 57 extending radially from the drum made up of the spiders 55 and strips 56, which members 57, made of leather or some other suitable material, constitute beaters or whippers. Now when a carpet is secured upon the carriage 38 and the device is set into motion, the carriage 38 is moved from one extreme of the machine to the other and beneath the beater drum and brush drum, the two drums being suitably adjusted by a manipulation of the rods 11. The beater and brushing drums are rotated at a suitable speed, say, two or three hundred revolutions per minute, while the carriage is moved at a relatively slow speed beneath them, being subjected to the whipping action of the flexible members 57, thus loosening up the dirt within the rug or carpet on the carriage, so that some of the dirt will fall through the screen 41 and then the loosened dirt is subjected to the action of the brush drum, thereby sweeping it from the rug or carpet. A single passage of the rug or carpet may be all that is needed to clean it thoroughly, but, in some instances this may be insuflicient whereupon the belts 36 and 37 are shifted, thus causing the carriage to move in the reverse direction and the carpet is again subjected to the action of the brush and heaters. If it be desired to stop the carriage at any time the then active belt 36 or 37 is moved on to the idler pulleys, so that both belts are then upon the idler pulleys and no power is transmitted from the drive shaft 24 to the countershaft 32. lit is usually desirable to start the carriage in a direction which will cause the .carpet to be subjected first to the heaters member act the more vigorously the separate adjustment is provided which may be accomplished without effect upon the driving mechanism, so that no matter what the adjustment may be both the brush and heater drum are always in proper relation to the driving belts to be driven thereby.

What is claimed is 1. In a carpet cleaning machine, rotatable heaters and brushes, a reciprocatory carriage movable beneath the heaters and brushes and provided with means for the attachment and support of a rug or carpet, drivin means for the heaters and brushes for driving them in one direction, and driving connections between said driving means and the carriage for causing movements of the carriage in both directions.

2. In a carpet cleaning machine, rotatable heaters and brushes, a reciprocatory carriage movable beneath the heaters and brushes and provided with means for the attachment and support of a rug or carpet, driving means connected to the heaters and brushes for driving them in one direction, means for the adjustment of the heaters and brushes independently one of the other toward and from the carriage, means for maintaining a constant relation between the driving means and both the heaters and brushes irrespective of the adjustment of either or both of said heaters and brushes, and driving connections between said driving means and the carriage for causing movements of the carriage in both directions.

3. A carpet cleaning machine comprising an elongated frame with posts mounted thereon intermediate of the length thereof, carpet cleaning means mounted on the posts, a carriage mounted on the frame and movable therealong, a rack and pinion actuating means for the carriage, and driving means for the carpet cleaning means and for the rack and pinion actuating means having motion reversing mechanism between the driving means and the rack and pinion actuating means.

4. A carpet cleaning machine comprising an elongated frame, carpet cleaning means carried by the frame substantially midway of its length and'in elevated relation thereto, a reciprocatory carriage having a carpet supporting surface and mounted on the frame for movement therealong in opposite directions beneath the carpet cleaning means, said carriage being provided with a rack of a length to move the carriage in either direction wholly to the corresponding side of the heaters and brushes, a driving means, driving connections between the driving means and the heaters and brushes for driving them in one direction, a gear engaging the rack, and direction reversing connections between the driving means and the gear.

5. A carpet cleaning machine comprising an elongated main frame, supports erected thereon intermediate of its length, a carriage provided with a carpet supporting surface and mounted on the main frame to travel lengthwise thereof, and movable wholly to each side of the supports, carpet cleaning heaters and brushes mounted on the supports in overriding relation to the path of the carriage there under, means for adjusting the heaters and brushes toward and from the carriage, a driving means, connections between the driving means and the heaters and brushes and including means for maintaining their relation to the driving means irrespective of their adjustment, direction reversing means connected to the driving means, and a rackand pinion actu-' ating means for the carriage driven by the direction reversing means, with the rack of a length to permit the movements of the carriage wholly to opposite sides of the intermediate supports.

6. A carpet cleaning machine comprising an elongated main frame, supports erected thereon intermediate of its length, a carriage mounted on the main frame to travel lengthwise thereof and movable wholly to each side of the supports, carpet cleaning means mounted on the supports in overriding relation to the path of the carriage thereunder, and driving means for the carpet cleaning means and for the carriage having direction reversing connections to the carriage.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aliixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

AUGUST H. BOELTER.

Witnesses:

ISAIAH Comma, GoLnm F. TAYLOR. 

